By Kristin Schebler
On Saturday, January 14th, the Cooper-Young Community Association board of directors got together and created a fantastic plan for 2017. Last year, we focused on learning about your needs through our 5 Year Plan process, and now we’re ready to start working on some of your great ideas. You can check out our specialized teams below to find what most interests you in the neighborhood plus take a look at the schedule for our new monthly community meet-ups. We hope you see something that gets you just as excited for 2017 as we are!
Beautification and Sustainable Living
The beautification team is feeling frisky in 2017. We’re still on the hunt for the right property to break ground on our CY urban orchard and learning garden, and we will be working on restoring a native habitat on former railroad land in the northeast part of the neighborhood. The Compost Fairy has some big news and a new headquarters, new equipment, and an expanded mission. AND we will be doing a survey to determine eligible sites for street trees in the neighborhood, so if you love trees, are interested in creating shade and reducing the heat island effect, and want to help make our neighborhood even more beautiful, contact us at info@cooperyoung.org, and maybe your home can be a pilot property early this spring.
Communications
Do you love marketing and communications? Are you a creative-type? Do you love Cooper-Young? The CYCA communications team is looking for new members to join us in communicating through the LampLighter, our soon-to-be built new website, social media and beyond. We meet on the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at the CYCA office at 2298 Young. Feel free to email June Hurt at cyca.june@att.net with any questions or great ideas, and we hope to see you there.
Safety Awareness
Cooper-Young is a wonderful neighborhood that offers many diverse amenities to its residents. The safety of our residents should be an absolute priority shared by all. As Safety Awareness Chair, it will be my goal to educate the neighborhood in all aspects of safety, not just crime. I hope to bring a realistic viewpoint to all through this educational and learning process.
Transportation
The transportation team is an effort identified as a need and created directly as the result of our 5 Year Plan initiative. The primary focus of this team is to plan and implement creative solutions to improve access and address safety concerns regarding pedestrian, cycling, public transit, and parking issues in Cooper-Young. The transportation team also hopes to serve as a resource for residents, offering information and support for public initiatives like sidewalk maintenance and speedbump placement. For 2017 the team is seeking to engage residents hands-on in identifying safety issues, maintenance concerns, and opportunities for improvement, while building relationships with stakeholders, government, and residents to facilitate long-term solutions.
Youth and Family
The youth and family team is being formed to bring more activities and involvement for Cooper-Young households. This team will take part in the 4th of July parade preparations and host a CYCA family Halloween party. We are also excited to announce that we are going to create two junior seats on the CYCA board for a high school junior and senior to give a voice to the younger generation in our community; these junior board positions will also include a college scholarship. If you are interested in joining this team please contact Suzanne Abedi at suziabedi@gmail.com.
Join CYCA Leadership!
Are you passionate about Cooper-Young? Do you have great ideas for projects in the neighborhood? Do you like working with your neighbors and leading them in making Cooper-Young an even better community? We want to talk to you about joining our board! CYCA board members meet once a month to catch up with neighborhood happenings, compare notes on on-going projects, and brainstorm new ideas for the community. The commitment can be as little as four hours a month. If you think you might be interested, give us a shout at 901-272-2922, email info@cooperyoung.org, or talk to one of our current board members at any CYCA event.
Don’t forget: CYCA elections will be held at our April community meet-up on Tuesday, April 11th. This year we will be voting for Vice President and Secretary. If you are interested in running for office, you must be a member in good standing with the CYCA for 30 days prior to the election. Please send candidate info to us at the number and email listed above and we will work with you to share your information throughout the community.
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CYCA 2017 Calendar of
Meeting & Events
Tues., Jan. 10: 901 Rocks
Sat., Feb. 18, 10:30 a.m.: Landmarks
Tues., March 14: Community Yoga
Tues., April 11: CPR Training
Sat., April 29: CYCA Yard Sale
Sat., May 13: Container/Fairy Garden
Sat.-Sun., May 20-21: CYCA Garden Walk
Sat., June 17: Revolutions Bike Ride
Tues., July 4: CYCA 4th of July Parade
Tues., Aug. 1: National Neighborhood Night
Tues., Sept. 12: Cooper-Young Festival / T-Shirt Pick Up
Fri., Sept. 15: Cooper-Young Festival Friday 4-Miller
Sat., Sept. 16: Cooper-Young Festival Booth
Tues., Oct. 10: Beer 101 at Hammer & Ale
Sat., Oct. 14 or 21st: CYCA Regional Beerfest
Wed., Oct. 26: CYCA Halloween Judging
Sat., Oct. 28: CYCA Kid’s Halloween Party
Sat., Nov. 11, 10:30 a.m.: Leaf Shredding Party/Compost Fairy
Sat., Nov. 18: Cooper-Young Food Drive
Sat., Dec. 2: St. Jude Marathon Water Table
Tues., Dec. 12: Cooper-Young General Meeting/Volunteer Appreciation Party
Sat., Dec. 16: CYCA Membership /Envelope Stuffing
Sun., Dec. 24: Holiday Bags for the Memphis Fire & Police Departments
